Lowe's worker dropped vanity on Wayne Co. man, suit alleges

HUNTINGTON – A Wayne County man alleges he was injured in a visit to a large home improvement chain’s store in Ohio and is suing the corporation to recover medical expenses and for pain and suffering.

William A. Lewis filed suit July 18 in Cabell Circuit Court against Lowe's Home Centers LLC.

According to the complaint, Lewis went to the Lowe's in Chesapeake, Ohio, with friends on Oct. 7, 2011, to purchase a vanity. When they found a suitable boxed vanity, it was located on a shelf high above the floor and an employee was summoned to retrieve the item.

Lewis’ lawsuit alleges the employee placed a portable ladder near the shelf and, as he attempted to bring the vanity off the shelf, the employee lost control of the boxed item. It fell, striking the plaintiff in the head, neck, back and shoulders. According to the complaint, the employee ran away from the scene of the incident.

The company‘s negligence is directly responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries. Lewis alleges through the employee’s actions, Lowe's Home Centers was negligent in causing his injury by having just one employee remove a large boxed item from a high shelf, and the company should have known it was potentially a dangerous situation.

As a result of that negligence, Lewis was injured and incurred medical expenses for diagnosis and treatment of his injuries, sustained pain and suffering, mental and physical pain and anguish.

Lewis asks for a judgment of damages in an amount that exceeds the minim jurisdictional requirement of the court.

He is being represented by W. Stephen Flesher of the Law Office of W. Stephen Flesher in Huntington. This case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Christopher D. Chiles.